August highlights

Naturally August can't pass by without us celebrating my father's natal day (August 22). There was a pre-birthday lunch on a Sunday so D could join us. We had lunch at Little Asia in Greenhills. Then on his birthday itself, we had lunch at Tony Roma's located in Glorietta 4.

Granite kitchen tops

One of the first things I check when I visit model homes is the kitchen. After all, it is the most important aspects of a home. It is the place where meals are prepared and dished out with much warmth.

A clean well organized kitchen with all the major kitchen components like countertops, electronic gadgets such as microwave, oven toaster, range is essential. A nice kitchen will inspire you to cook more.

Another good source of kitchen inspirations are comprehensive websites that feature everything you need to know about kitchen items. These items certainly don't come cheap. An online estimate tool is quite an effective program. In just a few minutes, it dispenses granite countertops price so you get an idea if it fits within one's budget.

I wonder when I'll get to own my own granite kitchen in my dream home!

Soul Food

After a particularly gruelling session at the hospital or what I call the three (blood test, ultrasound and injection) in one day, my sister was kind enough to treat me at one of our fave restos.

Seoul Garden - the eat all you can buffet style eatery is a resto where you cook your own food. It has been a fave hangout ever since we discovered it in Singapore. I was really happy when it opened its branch here in Pinas. It is located at the SM North Annex section. It has pretty much the same layout as the original one in Singapore. It also turns out to be much cheaper here.

First you choose from a wide array of items served buffet style



For instance, marinated cuts of chicken/beef



There are also seafood and vegetables




Then you pose for a picture before you start cooking your food



There is a bowl for soup in the middle of the pot which is surrounded by a hot plate surface where you fry your marinated meats



Yummy!

Street food ni Juan Dela Cruz

I'm just eternally grateful that between hospital visits for my fertility shots, I get to indulge my taste buds with delicious food. Physically tired from having a bruised arm from countless blood tests to being poked during ultrasounds, I tend to get really hungry. This cycle I was lucky to have my sister around so she would drive me to and from the hospital then we would go explore new eateries in town.

Although I've seen and passed by this restaurant several times, it was only lately during my sister's visit that we got to taste its cuisine. Kalye Juan as the name suggests serves local fare. Their prices range from 185 pesos onwards. Nice brightly lit ambiance consists of small square tables and wooden chairs. The food although served in small portions is quite tasty. I will surely go back (perhaps with the hubby) to savor their other dishes.

Alert: this post arises from my hormonal imbalance so read at your own risk!

Would you believe that this innocent looking device which resembles a ball pen is actually a really potent injection? An injection which I have to administer to myself for 5 days? YES to both questions!

My 3 loyal readers already know about my struggle with infertility. After a particularly horrible and sad incident last month, it was time to go for a more aggressive approach to tackle our problem.

This move was painful in many ways:
First of all, I had to consult a new OB-GYN, a fertility specialist. This meant I would no longer have the nurturing guidance of my doctor. She was/is such a kalog gynecologist who made all my monthly hospital visits such a joyous experience. I could call or text her any time of the day or night and hound her with my numerous questions and she happily obliged all my queries with matching smiley faces in her text messages.

Secondly, this move requires more frequent hospital visits, more extensive blood tests, more probing ultrasounds and high dosage medicines to be taken at specific intervals. I'm just glad that I am an organized person by nature so I chart all the requirements accordingly.

Thirdly, it goes without saying that it would eat up most if not all of our savings. So no need to elaborate about the financial aspect.

When I went for my first consultation with my new doctor (whose clinic is also located in the same hospital) she enumerated all the steps I had to go through during the span of my monthly cycle. She was very knowledgeable and quite professional in her approach. In fact, too professional for my taste. It all seemed so easy on paper.

Then the 'fun' part starts and everything spirals into this chaotic mixture of stress, fatigue and hormonal changes. Surprisingly I am quite alright physically. I am not and have never been afraid of needles and or injections so I am not squeamish. As far as I know, it seems that my body is adjusting well to the meds she prescribed.

BUT.

The mental anguish coupled with the pressure, the stress and constant worry if I am doing it correctly is completely and astonishingly overwhelming. I reckon that the hormonal imbalance is entirely and largely to blame. But gosh, I tell you truly I cannot and won't recommend it to anyone!

I've been struggling for three (3) years now and sometimes I wonder if it is all worth it? Do I keep trying? Or is it time to simply quit and throw in the towel and accept my fate?

Questions which float in the thin air like dust and they can be answered and discussed in various ways. For now I'm just not too sure I am ready to face the answers!

No wonder I'm rotund!

I wouldn't be surprised if I gained weight from eating in so many different restaurants for the past month and a half. It seems the word "diet" is no longer part of my vocabulary.

But more than the delicious food, it is the great bonding moments filled with conversations amidst much laughter that will really leave valuable imprints in my memories warehouse. Those moments are truly priceless!

After all, it is simply an easy matter of adjusting the belt notch so I don't faint from my jeans being too tight because of overeating he he he :D

Here are a few dishes we feasted on


Salted Fish Fried Rice and Mushrooms with Bamboo Shoots


Fried Hito


Phad Thai Noodles


Chiang Mai Chicken BBQ and Calamares


Century Egg with JellyFish, Squash with Seafood Soup,
Crispy Shrimps with Mayonnaise, Fish Fillet with Black Bean Sauce



Bulalo Soup

USB

When I visited my sister in Singapore, she had this huge pouch filled with USB (Universal Serial Bus) flash drives. Or those "computer sticky things" which was how Tina Fey's character in the movie "Date Night" called them.

Most of them were corporate giveaways. They came in all form and sizes. The more innovative ones were shaped according to the company's logo. There were USBs which look like matchboxes, key chains and leather encased keys.

My sister was kind enough to lend me several flash drives. So I've been keeping myself occupied by saving all my important files into them. The constant fluctuations of my PC and laptop have meant several files being lost due to the blue screen syndrome. Now I can be reassured that I have all my pictures, mp3s, videos and movies nicely stored in now the very essential flash drives.

Kudos to the guy or gal who invented this great gadget.

Rain or Shine

Wow so the sun finally shines after consecutive storms and monsoon rains battered our beloved nation for almost a week. It's nice to have the rays of the mighty sun embrace our skin BUT I'm not loving it.

If I was given a choice by some genie who suddenly appears out of nowhere, I would instantly pick a rainy day over a dry warm sunny day in a heartbeat.

Rains constitute gloomy dark skies with loud thunderstorms and bolting lightning strokes. Incessant flash floods. Horrific traffic jams. Massive evacuations of settlers in low laying areas. Suspension of classes. In short, a really major inconvenience.

BUT.

For me, it signifies abundance. For an agricultural country, we need the rains for our harvests to flourish. We need the rains for the dams to be filled for a sufficient water supply for our faucets. The rains would also give us cooler climates!

And on a personal note, classes (in all levels) being suspended equals hubby being at home. He gets to rest from working long hours and working too much. Now I know that is a really selfish reason but this is my blog so grin and bear it, why don't you! :D

Forever in blue jeans

This post brought to you by Express. All opinions are 100% mine.

We all know that buying women's jeans can be quite a tedious process. We can spend hours at the malls and still not find the perfect pair.  I figure it would help if we check out the different types of jeans available so the next time we go jeans shopping, it would make the task easier. 

Over at the Express jeans website, they show us the different types of denims which would suit our frame.  From the boot cut, the flare jeans to the now popular jeans leggings you can find them all at Express!  And there is a chance for you to win free jeans at their Express giveaway promo!  So hurry because it is a limited offer.

There is no doubt that everybody has a favorite pair of jeans which they like to wear all the time.  Personally I prefer the flare jeans type in the dark blue color.

Since I am not a tall person, a bit of flare will add some 'height' to my tiny frame. The dark color will also make me look slimmer. Well at least I hope it does. We all want to hide our flaws and imperfections, right?

How about you? What is your fave type of jeans? Do share! :D

 

Insomnia

Aside from earth shattering events which kept me up all night due to anxiety, I believe I'm back to my old bad habit - staying up late way past my usual bedtime of 11pm. Staying at the condo where internet connection is super slow is mostly to blame. Another reason is the very addicting Angry Birds game on the iPhone. I tell you truly whoever invented this game must have an affinity with zombies because it sure can turn you into one if you keep playing it before bed time.

So no online activities to keep me occupied, I resorted to the next 'best' thing - becoming a couch potato! It is amazing how many reality shows have cropped up on cable TV, nowadays. They are mostly shallow and inane but they sure can keep my eyes glued to the TV. Before I know it, the clock strikes 4:30 am so I go upstairs to give my mind and body some much needed rest only to repeat the cycle the following day/night.

I thought that spending this whole week here at our apartment would somehow alleviate my sleepless state. Obviously it ain't working. It is already 2:10 in the morning, I'm wide awake and totally engrossed in my scrabble game on FB.

Bad, no?